Deal Me In
by Skyrim-Rook
Summary: One-shot featuring James trying to give the Commander a little company late at night. F!ShepxVega Valerie Shepard belongs to enniethecivilian; this is a gift piece.


**Fluffy/smutty gift for enniethecivilian. Fem!ShepxVega and all that good jazz. **

* * *

Valerie Shepard rubbed her eyes roughly with the heel of her palm as she leaned back and yawned. "God damn war is going to be over before all this paperwork is." But she didn't mind being in charge; better than being told what to do. A little hassle made the freedom of being her only boss worth it. Well, _almost _her only boss.

Her personal quarters were quiet save for the gentle humming of _Normandy _and the bubbling of her fish tank. All the fucking things had died two weeks ago; Valerie had forgotten to remind someone to look after them and now she was left with an empty tank full of fake plants floating listlessly in the too-blue waters. She clicked a button and her screen closed. Dragging her hand down her face, she cursed.

"A shower," she mumbled, standing up and turning toward the bathroom. Before she could take another step though, her terminal rang out with that familiar tone and she cringed. "I swear to god, if that's Garrus with another requisition for more couplings, I'm going to give him a matching set of scars on the other side of his face."

Hastily, Valerie opened up the message and re-read it twice to make sure she wasn't making it up.

_Hola, Lola. Thought you might be up to some company. Doc says you've been locked up top for the day. I'll bring the drinks._

Vega. She smiled. It was kind of silly, but she felt a little sentimental at the nickname he'd given her. At first she'd told him, "Hell, no," but she eventually broke down when he cocked an eyebrow and gave her that crooked grin of us. There was no way she'd turn it down after everything they'd been through.

_Earth_. The pit of her stomach dropped and anger replaced her dread; the fucking reapers were going to pay for what hell they'd put humanity and the rest of the galaxy through. She sent a quick "sure." A shower was out of the question so she decided to lounge on the couch until she heard the quarters' door slide open. When Valerie looked back, James almost took her breath away; but, then again, when didn't he?

Standing more than a head taller than her, Vega's impressive build made her feel almost too-small. It was always a little jarring to be met with a soft eyes and a laid-back smile. But she'd seen the fire that could ignite when he was pissed about something. Scary wasn't a word for it. He was just an unstoppable force and nothing got in his way when he had a mission to do. Valerie liked that. Surviving wasn't always about being clever. Sometimes you just had to push until things broke for you.

"Lola, hey, crew's been worried about you," he held up a bottle and winked, "But I got the good stuff, yeah. Good ol' liquid fire from Earth."

Valerie smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Vega, if that's the cheap shit, there's gonna be hell to pay."

She tried not to watch the way his muscles moved against his t-shirt. It was criminal for a man like that to be covered up.

"Psht, no. I save the _mierda _for riff raff," he unscrewed the glass bottle. When he didn't give it on the first try, she heard him mutter, "_¡Que te jodan!_"

"Here, you big baby," Valerie snapped her fingers and he obediently smacked the bottle down hard into her hand. Without any trouble, she unscrewed the bottle and took a celebratory swig from it.

"Whoa there, _puta_," he plopped next to her and grabbed the bottle to take a sip himself. "I said I'd keep you company, not watch you get drunk like you did last time we were in Purgatory. Fuck, I've never seen anyone dance that badly."

Valerie ribbed him hard but gave him a dry laugh. "Like you're one to talk. Last time I remember, you got too friendly with a Salarian last time you had one too many."

James exaggerated a shudder for comical effect and gave her the bottle back. "Don't remind me." He watched her take another sip and finally asked, "So, you doin' ok?"

He asked the question so softly and carefully that she almost felt compelled to tell him the truth. But she had to save face. Commander Shepard was the foundation on which the entire war was laid on; last thing she needed was a moment of weakness to undermine all her hard work.

"Yep, fine." After a moment, she added, "Perfect."

James hesitated a moment before pushing, "You sure because—"

Valerie shot him a look and he raised his hands defensively. It was a couple of moments before she broke the silence. "So, you and Cortez playing nice down there?"

James stretched out and raised his hands above his head, reaching back to cradle his head. "You know Esteban. All work and no play. Tried to convince him to get in a game of poker and it's like I asked him to take shore leave."

Valerie snorted at that idea. "Sounds like Cortez." She absentmindedly swished the bottle around. Rolling her neck around, she felt her muscles ache.

Vega leaned forward again, still shifting and moving around. Leaning his forearms against his legs he finally offered, "You in for a game?"

"Shit," Valerie took another sip and felt a little light-headed. "I've seen how you play with those guys back on the docking bay in the Citadel. I'd kick your ass before you could blink."

He tossed her a smug look. "Great Commander Shepard can't be good at everything. I call bullshit."

Valerie sat up straighter and opened her mouth wide. "Oh, big man on _Normandy_, huh? Care to put your money where your mouth is?"

It was funny watching James work something over in his mind. He was a man of action not words so the look on his face would shift from pensive to bored quickly. She got it; why think about something if you just needed to get it fucking _done_?

"You get paid more than me. Let's raise the stakes," he proposed.

_Now _he had her attention. "Oh?" she raised an eyebrow in question.

"Strip poker," he said too casually.

There was no way he couldn't hear her heart beating; it was practically ringing in her ears. Valerie would be lying to herself if she couldn't admit that Vega hadn't been on her mind more than one night alone. At first she just thought it was simple physical attraction. But lately their relationship had grown easier.

On the battlefield he seemed to read her exact thoughts; push forward, hang back, don't relent. Off though, it was always easy with him. Everyone else wanted to know how Valerie was, was she sleeping ok, was she getting enough down time? It was like just acknowledging those things made it hard for her to do them. James, on the other hand, knew how to navigate her feelings. She smiled a little when she realized it was the same: push forward, hang back, don't relent.

_I'm like a battlefield, _she thought wistfully, _That sounds about right. _

James had a pack of cards in his back pocket as if he had been anticipating this turn of events. He shuffled while she waited for him to deal . The first go around, her hands ended up being absolute shit. In response to her lost, Valerie smirked at him the entire time as she yanked off her boots. He rolled his eyes at her but let it slide. By the time the whiskey was gone and an hour passed, both of them were more than a little buzzed and down to their underwear.

"Bullshit!" Valerie slurred, slamming down her hand. "Yer dealing me shit handssss on purp'se."

James tossed her a cocky grin. "What, Lola? You pissed because you found something you couldn't win? Better get used to losing then because I'm not gonna stop until you're naked."

Before her mind could stop her mouth Valerie heard herself say, "I could make that happen fer you a looooot faster." _Fuck_. This was the last time she drank with Vega. Her mind was so clouded she forgot this wasn't a fantasy.

He went quiet for a moment before finally folding his hand. "Maybe I got it wrong the first time."

Her stomach turned at the realization that maybe she'd irreparably fucked something up. But before she could awkwardly apologize he continued. "Shoulda called you _Loca_ because you sure know how to make someone's mind spin."

Valerie had no idea she could sober up _that _quickly. Snatching her shirt and pants, she tried blowing it off, "I'm jus' drunk is all." Before she could tug on any piece of clothing though, James had leaned over and grabbed her wrist.

He took in a deep breath. "Valerie."

She froze. The way he said her name, it made her heart race. His fingers against her bare wrist felt like the only real thing in this moment.

"Vega," she waved him off, "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but I wanna."

He couldn't have said that.

Slowly, she locked her gaze onto his. "You wanna worry. About me?"

James stood and yanked the clothes from her hands, tossing them carelessly on the ground. "I always worry. But I know you. You don't want any of us to worry."

Valerie almost blurted out that she like his hatchwork tattoos, the ones that curled around his well-define arm and muscular neck. But his gaze kept her attention. Those dark eyes weren't letting her mind wander anywhere away from him.

"Vega, I said _don't worry_—"

When he bent down to kiss her gently, she became acutely aware that she was practically naked. Her body felt like it was completely out of her control as her hands dragged down his chest and to his stomach; each notch of his muscles made Valerie's breath hitch.

When James finally broke away, he sighed, "Definitely _Loca._"

Valerie didn't wait for him to make the next move. She strained on her tiptoes to reach him and pull him back in for another kiss. This time, she made sure to press harder, pace him faster. He finally got the hint that she meant business and hoisted her legs up around him, turned her toward the table, and sat her down.

"Watch it," she mumbled in between breaths. "My ass is my best feature."

"You ass had better stop complaining," James moved his mouth down past her jaw, toward her neck.

Valerie moaned unabashedly as her legs tightened around Vega's broad torso. It was becoming increasingly difficult ignoring the way his arms pressed her lithe body against his harder one.

"Easy, soldier," she pushed him back. "I still need to take a shower."

He grinned at her. "Thought you needed to be dirty before you got clean?"

Hopping down from the table, she slipped underneath his arms and reached around to unhook her bra, throwing it at him. "You coming?"

"_Loca_," he asserted. She flinched when she felt his hand graze her ass. Before she could complain, he held up a card. "Figured you didn't want the ace of diamonds stuck to your ass while we were in there."

She laughed for the first time in weeks. "Worry about your own ass, Vega. Now get in there. That's an order."


End file.
